Transparent composite material as cladding material for architectural features in building construction

ABSTRACT

A composite material may be used as a building material to provide desirable visible aesthetics, such as in a roof or facade. The composite material may include two or more materials, wherein a first material provides desirable qualities for appearance and a second material provides desirable qualities for strength or other characteristics desirable of a building material. Each of the first material and the second material may be transparent, such that the composite material is also transparent. The first material may be Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and the second material may be Polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/337,971 entitled “TRANSPARENT COMPOSITE MATERIAL AS CLADDINGMATERIAL FOR ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION” and filedon Oct. 28, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 62/314,716 to Martin Augustyniak entitled “Transparent CompositeMaterial as Cladding Material for Architectural Features in BuildingConstruction” and filed on Mar. 29, 2016 and to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/247,564 to Robert Comeau entitled “Composite Filmsfor Architectural Applications” and filed Oct. 28, 2015, each of thesereferenced applications being incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The instant disclosure relates to composite materials. Morespecifically, portions of this disclosure relate to transparentcomposite materials with sufficient strength for use as buildingmaterials.

BACKGROUND

A roof or façade of a building are visually prominent aspects of abuilding. These parts of a building are thus areas of great interest byarchitects in shaping the appearance of the building. Of particularinterest are transparent materials for use as a building enclosure. Thebuilding enclosure may cover areas of importance that are the basis ofthe transparent composite cladding. The building enclosure isresponsible for structural performance, durability, reliability,security, aesthetics, value, constructability, and maintainability,water and moisture resistances, light control, fire performance, andblast resistance. Transparent materials allow natural light to penetratean interior of a building, reducing the need for artificial light in thespace. Transparent materials also allow colored lighting to be projectedthroughout the building to enhance the visual effect. One conventionalmaterial frequently used as cladding material for a building enclosureis Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE).

ETFE is a transparent polymer material with strong weatherability, buthas limited tensile strength and is prone to creep. The ETFE isconventionally manufactured as pillows or cushions to improve thestructural stability of the material, and the pillows or cushions areinstalled on buildings. ETFE cushions add significant cost to thecladding system as they double and triple the amount of ETFE materialneeded within the coverage area, require expensive extruded aluminumclamping systems, and require expensive air handling and ductworksystems to maintain inflation. An example of ETFE cushions on a buildingis shown in FIG. 1A. FIGURE lA is a perspective view of a buildingconstructed with ETFE cushions according to the prior art. Architectsmay be interested in the visual capabilities of ETFE, but areconstrained by the requirement to package the ETFE in the cushion shape.

ETFE can also be used in a single layer application, but the system islimited to a span of less than 1 meter and must incorporate a grid ofsteel or cables to distribute loads imposed on the ETFE. Single layerETFE applications add significant cost to construction in the form ofsubstructure support in the form of steel or cables and the additionalmanufacturing and labor required to install the steel or cable loadcarrying system and link the system to the ETFE cladding. FIG. 1B is anillustration of a building constructed with single-layer ETFE 112supported by a cable grid 114. The cable grid 114 is both expensive toconstruct and a distracting architectural feature.

SUMMARY

A composite material may provide better functionality for use as abuilding enclosure or in other aspects of a building. The compositematerial may include two or more materials, in which a first materialprovides desirable qualities of durability, reliability, aesthetic,constructability and maintainability and a second material providesdesirable qualities for strength, durability, reliability, aesthetic,constructability and maintainability or other characteristics desirableof a building material. In some embodiments, the composite material mayinclude a first material for exterior protection and a second materialfor strength. The second material may be part of a support carrier onwhich the first material is attached. Each of the first material and thesecond material may be transparent, such that the composite material isalso transparent. In one embodiment, the material for exteriorprotection may be ETFE and the material for strength may be PET. Using asupport carrier for the ETFE may allow use a thin ETFE layer forprotection from external forces, e.g., improved weatherability, comparedto the thicker single ETFE layer for weatherability and strength ofconventional structures described above. The thinner ETFE layer canstill adequately protect other materials within the composite, such asthe support carrier. The thinner ETFE layer may also allow for increasedclarity of the composite, compared to a thicker ETFE layer of the priorart. Furthermore, the support carrier may provide sufficient strength toallow construction of much larger panels, and thus allow an architect todesign outside of the limitations of the conventional ETFE pillows orconventional single-layer ETFE with 1 meter×1 meter cable grid requiredof the prior art.

The composite material may be organized as a support carrier includingone or more strength layers and/or functionality layers surrounded onone or more sides by a protection layer that provides the desireddurability, reliability, aesthetic, constructability and maintainabilityaspects. The support carrier enables the use of the protection layer asan exposed feature in a building without requiring the protection layerto meet the strength and engineering requirements of the structure.Thus, the protection layer's desirable qualities may be obtained for thebuilding. When such a protection layer has undesirable qualities, suchas low strength, the support carrier can supplement the protection layerregarding those undesirable qualities. That is, the composite materialmay include different layers for different functions, such as solarcontrol solar harnessing, digital imaging, and/or lighting. An outsidelayer facing the environment and that is visible to individuals may beselected for architectural aspects. A support carrier for that outsidelayer may be selected based on strength requirements by an engineer forthe building. Certain layers may be transparent for aesthetic effect. Insome embodiments, all layers may be transparent to enhance the aestheticeffect. In some embodiments, the support carrier may be a singleadhesive layer affixing a protection layer to another protection layerto provide strength, and the single adhesive layer may provide otherfunctionality such as IR reflectance. In other embodiments, the supportcarrier may be a polymer layer, and attached to one or morefluoropolymer protection layers by an adhesive or other sealingmechanism. For example, the protection layer may be bonded to thesupport carrier.

Some embodiments of composite films made from layering polymericmaterials may provide the designer with materials that provide highstrength (e.g., tensile strength), transparency (e.g., VLT %), highdurability (e.g., weatherability), and/or high cost performance (e.g.,lower cost materials and construction than industry standardconventional materials). In one embodiment, one or more layers of thecomposite films may include one or more fluoropolymers, such as ETFE,ECTFE, PVF, PVDF, PTFE, PCTFE, PFA, and/or FEP. Further, in someembodiments of the composite films, additional features can be providedthrough the composite film that could not be implemented in conventionalmaterials, such as solar control, light spectrum manipulation, tinting,shading, solar harnessing, digital imaging, and/or lighting. Inembodiments using PET as the strength layer, the PET may be treated toprevent UV and hydrolysis degradation during its service life. Further,the PET may be configured to crystalize when it is exposed to flame toreduce or eliminate dripping, such as to pass the UL94, NFPA 701, ASCME108, and/or other standards. For example, the PET or other transparentpolymer material may be configured to crystalize when exposed to flameto prevent drip, such as by treating the polymer material duringmanufacturing.

According to one embodiment, an apparatus may include a firstsubstantially transparent material; a second substantially transparentmaterial of a different material than the first substantiallytransparent material; and/or a first adhesive that attaches the firstsubstantially transparent material to the second substantiallytransparent material.

According to another embodiment, a composite material for buildingconstruction may include a first material configured to allow at leastsome visible light transmission and configured to face towards anexterior environment around the building construction; a second materialconfigured to allow at least some visible light transmission andconfigured to provide strength to the composite material to allow use ofthe composite material in the building construction; and/or a firstadhesive attaching the first material to the second material.

According to another embodiment, a method may include attaching a firstsubstantially transparent material to a second substantially transparentmaterial different from the first substantially transparent material toform a substantially transparent composite material for buildingstructures. The step of attaching may include depositing a firstadhesive on the first substantially transparent material and/or couplingthe second substantially transparent material to the first adhesive.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly certain features and technicaladvantages of embodiments of the present invention in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described hereinafter that form thesubject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated bythose having ordinary skill in the art that the conception and specificembodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying ordesigning other structures for carrying out the same or similarpurposes. It should also be realized by those having ordinary skill inthe art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.Additional features will be better understood from the followingdescription when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures isprovided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is notintended to limit the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the disclosed system and methods,reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a building constructed with ETFEcushions according to the prior art.

FIG. 1B is an illustration of a building constructed with single-layerETFE supported by a cable grid.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a transparent composite materialfor building construction according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a transparent composite materialfor building construction according to another embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of a transparent composite materialfor building construction according to a further embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating stress-strain of a composite materialformed according to embodiments of this disclosure compared to asingle-layer ETFE of the prior art.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating light reflectance for a support carrierwith an IR reflectance layer according to one embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an extrusion for connecting a compositematerial with a support carrier to a perimeter structural supportaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an extrusion for connecting a compositematerial with a support carrier to an intermediate structural supportaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a manufactures lap joint for joiningpanels of composite material with a support carrier according to someembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a manufactured butt joint forjoining panels of composite material with a support carrier according tosome embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a perimeter edge of a panel ofcomposite material with a support carrier according to some embodimentsof the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural cable connectionto a panel of composite material with a support carrier according tosome embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a transparent composite materialfor building construction according to one embodiment of the disclosure.A composite material 200 may include a combination of two or morematerials. In some embodiments, the two or more materials are eachsubstantially transparent, at least to visible light. The compositematerial 200 may include a first material 202 and a support carrier 210comprising a second material 204. The second material 204 may beattached to or affixed to the first material 202 by an adhesive 206. Thefirst material 202 may face towards an exterior environment around thebuilding construction. The first material 202 may be selected to provideprotection to the support carrier 210, such as from external forces thatmay affect the support carrier 210. For example, the first material 202may be selected for its ability to withstand weather, such as rain,hail, snow, ice, etc., and thus protect the support carrier 210 that maynot be as durable when exposed to the environment as the first material202. Other examples of materials for the first material 204 include PVDFor other fluoropolymers. In one embodiment, co-extruding particles andmaterials may be included within material 202 or 204.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 2A, the second material 204is sealed on one side by the first material 202. In other embodiments,the second material 204 may be sealed on both sides by protectivematerials, such as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2B. FIG. 2B is across-sectional view of a transparent composite material for buildingconstruction according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Acomposite material 250 may include a first material 252A attached to asupport carrier 260 having a second material 254 and adhesive 256A. Thefirst material 252A may face towards an exterior environment and provideprotection for the material 254 from the exterior environment. Adhesive256A may attach the support carrier 260 to the first material 252A. Athird material 252B may be attached to the second material 254 byadhesive 256B. The materials 252A and 252B may be the same materials, orin some embodiments the materials 252A and 252B may be differentmaterials. For example, the materials 252A and 252B may both be ETFE.Likewise, the adhesives 256A and 256B may be similar or dissimilaradhesives selected, for example, to match the materials 252A and 252Band/or the target application for composite material 250.

The thicknesses of the materials 252A, 252B, and 254 and adhesives 256Aand 256B may be selected, in part, based on an intended application ofthe composite material 250. For example, a thickness of the secondmaterial 254 may determine, in part, a strength of the compositematerial 250. Because second material 254 is the strength material,increasing the thickness of the second material 254 may increase aweight loading capability of the composite film 250. As another example,a thickness of the first material 252A and 252B may be selected, inpart, based on the expected exterior environment around the secondmaterial 254. For example, in harsh climates or rainy climates, athickness of the first material 252A may be increased to withstandadditional wear on the composite material 250. In one embodiment, athickness of materials 252A and 252B may each be approximately 10-125microns, or more particularly approximately 25 microns, a thickness ofadhesives 256A and 256B may add up to approximately 25 microns. In someembodiments, a thickness of the second material 254 may be approximately10-1000 microns, or 25-250 microns, or more particularly 125 microns. Insome embodiments, the composite material is formed into a largetransparent composite architectural panel by heat sealing manufacturedcomposite materials together to form a building envelope and configuredfor installation on a building. Such building envelope composite panelsmay be several hundred feet long, and have an unsupported width orlength between approximately 3 and 30 feet.

In some embodiments, the second material 254 may be a PET or othertransparent polymer that is chemistry treated to prevent UV degradation.In some embodiments, the PET may be modified from stock formulations.For example, PET is a useful high strength material, however PETmaterials drip in fire. Thus, when the composite material 250 is usedfor building structures (e.g., a roof or other enclosure), the PET maybe modified to prevent drip when exposed to flame. One example of such amodification is to modify the PET such that the PET crystalizes at hightemperature to prevent dripping of the PET during a fire.

In some embodiments, the second material 254 may comprise multiplelayers. For example, the second material 254 may include two layers oflike or different materials attached together by an adhesive. Somematerials have limits to the available thickness. Multiple layers ofsuch materials may be adhered together to form a stronger secondmaterial 254, when desired for certain applications.

In addition to providing strength, the support carrier may includematerials or designs to provide additional features to the compositematerial. For example, additional features may be added to a compositematerial by inserting particles and/or nanoparticles with certaincharacteristics to the composite material. In some embodiments, theparticles and nanoparticles may be incorporated into one or moreadhesive layers of the composite material, such as shown in FIG. 2C.FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of a transparent composite materialfor building construction according to a further embodiment of thedisclosure. The composite material 250 of FIG. 2C is similar to thecomposite material 250 of FIG. 2B, but includes particles 258 embeddedin the adhesives 256A and 256B. Although particles 258 are shown in bothadhesives 256A and 256B, the particles 258 may be present in only one ofthe adhesives 256A and 256B. Further, the nanoparticles may be presentwhen there is only one adhesive, such as adhesive 206 in FIG. 2A.

The particles 258 may have a chemistry selected to obtain desiredfunctionality. For example, the particles 258 may be selected to obtaintinting or shading, such as by partially blocking visible light, eitherthe entire spectrum of visible light (e.g., shading) or a portion of thespectrum of visible light (e.g., tinting). Other example uses ofparticles 258 may include other spectral manipulations, such as toreflect infrared (IR) radiation or to absorb infrared (IR) radiation.Although nanoparticles have been described as embedded in an adhesivelayer, the nanoparticles may alternatively or additionally be embeddedin other portions of the support carrier.

Other functionality may be integrated into layers of the support carrieror as additional layers of the support carrier. For example, micro lightemitting diodes (micro LEDs) and associated circuitry and wiring may beincorporated in the support carrier. The LEDs may be configured toprovide lighting and/or to produce digital imaging capability within acomposite material or in an array of panels. For example, many panels ofcomposite material may be connected to form a roof or building façadeand incorporate digital imaging technology into the support carrier ofthe material used to display images like a television or scoreboard. Insome embodiments, a liquid crystal layer, similar to that of liquidcrystal displays (LCDs), or an organic LED (OLED) layer, may be includedin the support carrier and configured to couple to electronics thatcontrol the liquid crystal or OLEDs to generate a digital image. Asanother example, solar harnessing materials may be built into thesupport carrier. Solar concentrating materials may include additives tolayers of the support carrier or a specific layer of the support carrierthat redirects light impinging on the support carrier towards acollection point. A photovoltaic cell, or other device for convertinglight to electricity, may be located at that collection point to convertlight received across the entire support carrier to electricity. As afurther example, a photovoltaic layer may be integrated with the supportcarrier and configured to generate electricity from light impinging onthe apparatus. As still a further example, an electrochromatic layer maybe integrated with the support carrier and configured to provide avariable tint in the apparatus. Electronics, such as wires and controlcircuitry, may be attached to the electrochromatic layer to apply avariable tint or color to the support carrier. When a composite materialwith the support carrier is used as a roof, the electrochromatic layermay be controlled to darken during sunny days and lighten during cloudydays. As a further example, a heat reflectance layer may be integratedwith the support carrier and configured to reflect a heat to reducesolar heat gain during the day and be switched off at night to allowheat to radiate out of the space. Some circuitry is described assupporting functionality for certain features in the support carrierlayers, and similar circuitry may be configured for other feature layersincluded in the support carrier.

As yet another example, a layer may be added to the support carrier andconfigured to reflect infrared (IR) radiation. An example spectralcharacteristic of a support layer with such an IR reflection layer isshown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a graph of reflectance versus lightwavelength, which shows nearly 100% reflectance of light in the IRspectrum from approximately 760 nm to 1100 nm while allowing nearly 80%transmission of light in the visible spectrum from approximately 400 nmto 750 nm. In some embodiments, such an IR reflectance layer may be athin metal layer, and the support carrier may be modified throughsputter or evaporation techniques to adhere one or more metals to thesupport carrier to reflect infrared (IR) radiation and maintain visiblelight transmission.

Embodiments of the composite materials described above have been testedand the results of the tests are shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a graphillustrating stress-strain of a composite material formed according toembodiments of this disclosure compared to a single-layer ETFE of theprior art. Line 302 illustrates a stress-strain curve for a conventionalsingle-layer ETFE material. Line 304 illustrates a stress-strain curvefor an enhanced ETFE material by incorporating a support carrier withthe ETFE as a protective layer. As shown in FIG. 3, embodiments of thecomposite material using a support carrier may have stress-strainresults significantly better than conventional single-layer ETFEmaterials. Thus, embodiments of the composite material may be useful inapplications requiring high strength materials, such as enclosures orother architectural aspects for buildings.

The higher strength of the support carrier-based composite materialshown by the stress-strain graph allows for more architectural freedomwhen designing and constructing a building. For example, the grid ofsteel or cables to carry load imposed on the ETFE material as describedin the background may be eliminated or fewer cables may be required tosupport the cladding and resist snow and wind loads. Elimination of someor all of these cables provides freedom to the architect or engineer inthe design of the building and provides improved aesthetic appearances.In the case of a cushion configuration, higher strength material allowsthe designer to increase the size (e.g., width) of a cushion andincrease the internal pressure within the cushion to resist extreme snowand wind loads.

A composite film may be formed from the support carrier and one or moreprotection layers. The composite film may be formed into a flexiblemembrane and have a lighter weight than equivalent glass materials,which are also conventionally used as a transparent cladding material. Adecrease in weight may allow the composite films to be supported by lessbuilding substructure than glass. The increase in strength of thecomposite film from the support carrier may allow additional flexibilityin the sizing of panels of the composite material. An increase in sizeof the panels may allow new architectural designs not possible withconventional glass or ETFE films.

Some techniques for building construction with composite films having asupport carrier are described with reference to FIGS. 5-9. In someembodiments, the composite films may be attached to a rod-likestructure, such as an EPDM chord, a nylon rod, or a rope. The rod-likestructure may be used to connect composite panels to a buildingsubstructure. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an extrusion forconnecting a composite material with a support carrier to a perimeterstructural support according to some embodiments of the disclosure. Anextrusion 500 may include a holder 502 for holding a rod-like structureattached to the composite film. Supports 504A, 504B press against thecomposite film attached to the rod that fits in the holder 502.Attachment mechanism 506 attaches the extrusion 500 to a buildingsubstructure. For example, the extrusion 500 may hold composite panelson a top or side of a building to serve as a transparent roof. Theextrusion 500 may be used at perimeters of an architectural area, suchas a perimeter of a roof, to support installation of the compositematerial panels.

An extrusion may alternatively be used to connect composite material toan intermediate structural support as shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 5B is aperspective view of an extrusion for connecting a composite materialwith a support carrier to an intermediate structural support accordingto some embodiments of the disclosure. A holder 512 of extrusion 510 mayreceive a rod-like structure attached to composite film. The extrusion510 may connect the composite materials to upstands 516 and/orsubstructure 518. In some embodiments, a birdwire may be attached to theextrusion 510 to assist in preventing wildlife damage to the compositematerial panels. The extrusion 510 may be used in the middle of anarchitectural area, such as portions of the roof away from a perimeter,to support installation of the composite material panels on a left andright side of the extrusion 510.

In some embodiments, panels of composite material may be directlyconnected as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of anattachment of panels of composite material with a support carrieraccording to some embodiments of the disclosure. A first panel 602 and asecond panel 604 may each be a composite material panel with a supportcarrier as described in embodiments above. A bottom surface 602A of thefirst panel 602 and a top surface 604A of the second panel 604 may beattached in overlapping region 606 to form a lap seal. For example, aheat seal may be formed, an adhesive may be applied, and or a tape maybe applied to attach the first panel 602 to the second panel 604. Insome embodiments, the overlap width w may be between 0.375 inches and 2inches.

In some embodiments, panels of composite material may be indirectlyconnected through a butt joint to a secondary material as shown in FIG.7. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a manufactured butt joint forattaching panels of composite material with a support carrier accordingto some embodiments of the disclosure. A first panel 702 and a secondpanel 704 may be attached through secondary material 706. The firstpanel 702 may be attached to the secondary material 706 in overlappingregion 702A; the second panel 704 may be attached to the secondarymaterial 706 in overlapping region 704A. In some embodiments, a width ofthe overlapping regions 702A and 704A may be approximately 0.375 to 2inches, although the two widths of regions 702A, 704A do not need to beidentical. In some embodiments, a total overlapping width, or the widthof the secondary material 706, may be between 0.75 and 4 inches. Thewidths of the various overlaps and sizes of the panels may be selectedto obtain desired architectural characteristics and to meet necessarystrength requirements for support of the building.

Panels of the composite films may be attached to rod-like structures forattachment to extrusions as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. FIG. 8 is across-sectional view showing an edge of a panel of composite materialwith a support carrier according to some embodiments of the disclosure.The perimeter detail shown in FIG. 8 may be received by an aluminumextrusion such as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B. The extrusions may bebolted to a structural frame like that in a glass mullion. A compositefilm 802 may be rolled at an edge around a rod-like structure 804, suchas an EPDM chord, a nylon rod, or a rope. The rod-like structure 804 mayprovide rigidity to a formed panel from the composite material 802and/or provide a means for attaching the panel to a buildingsubstructure or intermediate structure through extrusions. A seal 806may be made between the composite material 802 and a curled edge of thatsame material sheet. An overlapping region 808, or seal width, may beapproximately 0.375 inches to 2 inches, although the amount of overlapmay be determined specifically for each application of the panels. InFIG. 8, a first portion of the composite material 802 is wrapped aroundthe rod-like structure 804 and sealed 806 to a second portion of thecomposite material 802.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural cable connectionto a panel of composite material with a support carrier according tosome embodiments of the disclosure. A film 902 may be attached to film906 at seals 910A and 910B to attach the film 902 and 906 to a rod-likestructure 904, such as a cable. The seals 910A and 910B may be, forexample, heat seals, adhesive seals, or tape seals. An overlapping width908A and 908B, or seal width, may be approximately 0.375 inches to 2inches, although the amount of overlap may be determined specificallyfor each application of the panels. Either or both of the materials 902and 906 may be a composite material with a support carrier and one ormore of the functionalities described in embodiments above. In FIG. 9,the composite panel 906 is attached to the rod-like structure by amaterial sheet 902 wrapped around the rod-like structure 902 and sealed910A, 910B to the composite material 906 on opposite sides of therod-like structure 902.

Although architectural applications for the composite material aredescribed, the composite material may be used for other applications.For example, the composite materials may be used to build flexibleelectronic devices, outdoor weather-resistance electronic devices,flexible toys with integrated electronic functionality, among otherapplications. The composite material may be used as a replacementtechnology for any device conventionally constructed between, forexample, rigid glass panels.

Although the present disclosure and certain representative advantageshave been described in detail, it should be understood that variouschanges, substitutions and alterations can be made herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims. For example, although many single layer embodiments ofthe composite material with support carrier are provided, the compositematerial with support carrier may also be formed into cushions forinstallation in architectural applications. As another example, where a“layer” is referred to, the “layer” may include one or more materials ina layer and may include one or more layers within the “layer.” Moreover,the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited tothe particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture,composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in thespecification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate from the present disclosure, processes, machines,manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presentlyexisting or later to be developed that perform substantially the samefunction or achieve substantially the same result as the correspondingembodiments described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appendedclaims are intended to include within their scope such processes,machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for constructing a building,comprising: a composite material comprising: a support carriercomprising one or more layers configured to provide strength to theapparatus, in which the support carrier comprises polyethyleneterephthalate (PET); a first protection layer on a first side of thesupport carrier configured to provide protection to the support carrierfrom weather, in which the first protection layer comprises asubstantially transparent layer, and in which the first protection layercomprises a fluoropolymer; and a second protection layer on a secondside of the support carrier, in which the composite material has atensile strength of at least 60 megapascals at 5% strain; and amechanical structure attached to the composite material, wherein themechanical structure is configured to attach the composite material toat least one of a building substructure or building intermediatestructure of the building, in which the composite material comprises apanel configured to provide strength for support of the building as partof an enclosure to form a building envelope around the buildingsubstructure or building intermediate structure.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, in which a first portion of the composite material is wrappedaround the mechanical structure and sealed to a second portion of thecomposite material.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the compositepanel is attached to the mechanical structure by a material sheetwrapped around the mechanical structure and sealed to the compositematerial on opposite sides of the mechanical structure.
 4. The apparatusof claim 1, in which the mechanical structure comprises a cable.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an extrusion configured toreceive the mechanical structure with attached composite material and toattach to a building substructure.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, in whichthe extrusion is configured to attach to a perimeter structural support.7. The apparatus of claim 5, in which the extrusion is configured toattach to an intermediate structure support of the building.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an extrusion configured toreceive the panel and configured to attach to a structural frame of thebuilding.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the panel comprises aseal made between the composite material and a curled edge of thecomposite material.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, in which a firstportion of the panel is wrapped around the mechanical structure, and inwhich the seal is made between a curled edge of the panel and a secondportion of the panel such that the mechanical structure is enclosed bythe panel.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a film, inwhich the panel is attached to the film at two points such that themechanical structure is enclosed by the panel and the film.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11, in which the film comprises a composite materialcomprising a PET support carrier and an ETFE protection layer on atleast one side of the PET support carrier.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the composite material comprises an architectural aspect of thebuilding.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the first protectionlayer has a thickness of between 10 and 125 microns, and in which thesupport carrier comprises a polymer layer with a thickness between 25and 250 microns.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the supportcarrier is configured to provide one or more functionalities for theapparatus.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the support carriercomprises particles and is configured to reflect infrared (IR) radiationand maintain visible light transmission.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1,in which the fluoropolymer comprises ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene(ECTFE).
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the fluoropolymercomprises ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE).
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 1, in which the panel comprises an unsupported width or lengthbetween 3 and 30 feet.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1, in which themechanical structure comprises a rod-like structure.